As President of USA Wakeboard, I wanted to pass along a letter from IWSF. There are however several significant benefits that USA Wakeboard is adding

Any rider may compete at IWSF World Championship as an individual athlete.

USA Wakeboard has budgeted over $18,000 for expenses for Team USA to attend this event. Team selection will be based on desire to go, IWSF Standings, and performance in both Board-up Miami and USA Wakeboard Nationals.

Because wakeboarding is now part of the Pan American Games, The United States Olympic Committee has funded OPERATION GOLD. If a male or female places 1st - 4th from the USA at the IWSF World Championship, USOC will pay the following thru USA Wakeboard.

I hope this e-mail finds you well. I write to you to receive early indication if you will be participating in the IWSF Wakeboard World Championships .

With all best intentions for the growth of wakeboarding and with the riders best interest in mind, the IWSF scheduled its 2009 IWSF Wakeboard World Championships earlier this having consulted various parties. We carefully chose a week in the beginning of 2009 that was clear of other major events throughout the world, trade shows, major wakeboard tour dates or events scheduled by other organizations. We were in communication with World Sports Marketing, and they were well aware of the date of the IWSF Wakeboard World Championships. They had not, at that time, scheduled a date for the WWA Worlds.

Surf EXPO has being brought forward this year by 1 month and now there is a conflict of dates with the WWA Worlds being scheduling on the same dates as the IWSF Worlds. The IWSF has since contacted WWA and Shannon Starling about this conflict and there is unfortunately no compromise from them. Unfortunately riders throughout the world have to choose which event they will be attend.

What are the advantages of participating in the 2009 IWSF Wakeboard World Championships?

The elite and up-and-coming junior riders who participate in the IWSF Wakeboard World Championships to be held in Korea from 24th -29th August 2009 will be considered for selection for the 2009 and 2010 IWSF Wakeboard World Cup Series. Prize money for each stop is a minimum of USD60,000 and typically USD80,000 per stop.

Blah blah blah. Every year USA Wakeboard threatens this and IT NEVER HAPPENS. Please advise us all of what USA Wakeboard Nationals Phillip Soven rode in because he has been on the team many times and never rode. So please tell us.

******THIS IS NOT A SHOT MEANT TOWARDS PHILLIP OR ANY OF THE SOVENS!!!!! Just basically calling out USA Wakeboard on their repeated attempts to make us think this will actually happen. Again not at Phillip.

Seriously, USA Wakeboard is charged with the duty to send the best riders in the USA to the IWSF World Championship. How we pick the team is a never ending discussion especially this year. In the past, this has been a closed door discussion but I like this discussion board so I am letting you know how I will vote. I cannot speak for the entire board and I am only 1 vote of 10. I personally submitted the bid to run 2009 Nationals, worked very hard to pick a weekend that did not conflict with Pro Tour, really look forward to a killer event. I expect anyone who wishes to be on Team USA to be at Nationals to get my vote.

Oh as far as explaining what other Presidents have done, I am gonna pull an Obama and not speak for them. God I cant believe I just wrote that.

I cannot understand why, with the economy in the state it is in, and the difficulty in getting sponsorship (look what's happened to the women this year) WWA have to put the worlds on on the same weekend that the IWSF Worlds are on. The ladies have already lost 3 stops, now they have to choose between which worlds to attend. If you don't go to the IWSF you are not eligible for any world cup stops. The highest paying events of them all. The only people losing out here are the wakeboarders. Makes you wonder who the sport is really about?

There are normally 3. The first one is usually the day after the Worlds finals at the same venue. I have been told that that is not happening this year?? If you don't attend the Worlds you are not eligible for the 2010 World Cup either. Who are the real losers here??